Shore Patrol: WWII-era submarines tell a story

The World War II National Submarine Memorial-West, at the Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station, is offering itself for a time of reflection.

Several hundred people attended a dignified ceremony this Memorial Day to remember the sacrifices of servicemen and women.

But plans are now being developed to improve the site, possibly with a museum and library, said Ed Barwick, memorial director.

The plans also include efforts to showcase the histories of the 52 submarines lost during World War II. Memorial Day's "tolling the boats" ceremony included only the name of each mourned submarine and the number of lost crew members.

"One of my planned projects is to install `story boards' around the memorial," said Barwick. "This will allow people to do self-guided tours and learn more about the history of these submarines and their crews."

Dave Vanderveen, who volunteered to write some of the submarine history narratives, reports that an assessment of military combat performance by a joint Army-Navy commission found that American submarines sank nearly 1,400 Japanese ships, or 55percent of Japan's total lost ships. The remainder were sunk by surface forces, Naval and Army aircraft or mines.

The U.S. submarine force was composed of about 50,000 officers and enlisted men - 16,000 crewmen, plus support personnel and staff - or 1.6 percent of the total Navy complement. According to Vanderveen, a force representing less than 2 percent of the Navy destroyed 55 percent of Japan's navy and merchant marine ships.

Among the 52 U.S. submarines sunk during World War II, more than 3,500 officers and enlisted men died, Vanderveen noted, adding that the submarine service lost 22 percent of its personnel, "the highest loss rate for any branch of the military."

Excerpts from Vanderveen's first draft for the planned story boards include these details:

In February 1942, the first loss to Japanese anti-submarine forces occurred at sea. USS Shark was sunk by surface craft in Molucca Passage with the loss of 59 crewmen.

In January 1943, USS Argonaut attacked a group of five Japanese ships, hitting one destroyer for damage. In turn, Argonaut was attacked with depth charges which lifted her to the surface where she was hit many times by gunfire. She soon sank with a loss of all hands.

One of the submarine Navy's legendary events occurred in February 1943, when USS Growler attacked a small convoy. In the heat of battle, the craft collided with one of the small ships whose crew machine-gunned the submarine's bridge and shears, killing two men and wounding the captain, Howard W. Gilmore. He ordered the other survivors to clear the bridge, then ordered his executive officer to "take her down."

In November 1943, the USS Sculpin, with division commander Capt. John Cromwell, attacked a Japanese convoy near Truk (now Chuuk). Destroyers damaged the ship and it waited for attackers to leave. Cromwell ordered the crew to abandon the sub, and he chose to go down with the Sculpin. He and 11 others died.

In October 1944, the USS Tang, already among the most successful submarines, sank five ships in three attacks. With half its torpedoes still aboard, the sub then attacked another convoy, sinking two ships. Crew members loaded the last two torpedoes and fired them at the target. One ran hot, straight and normal, but the other circled back to the Tang. The torpedo struck the submarine, destroying the engine room and after-torpedo room. Altogether, eight men survived.

On Aug. 6, 1945, USS Bullhead was sighted by an aircraft that dropped bombs, hitting the boat twice. Bullhead, the last U.S. submarine lost in World War II, sank with all hands.